Inset turntable for articles of furniture

ABSTRACT

A turntable assembly to be inset in an aperture in the surface of an article of furniture. It includes a circular ring fitted in the recess and held there by a peripheral lip that rests on a peripheral band on the surface. Bearings carried by the ring face inwardly rotatable to support a plate-like turntable inside the ring.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

A turntable adapted to be inset into a top surface of an article of furniture such as a table or a sidepiece.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Turntables are widely used, usually placed atop articles of furniture. The well-known Lazy Susan is an example. Their purpose is not only to support an article, but to enable it to be rotated so as to provide a view of all sides to a person remaining in place, and to provide direct lateral access to all of its sides when it is rotated.

The conventional approach to this objective is to place the rotating system on top of a fixed surface and turn it relative to the surface. This requires the separate placement of an entire rotating system onto the surface. If the objective is to be attained, one must bring to the furniture the entire rotational system plus whatever is to be displayed on it.

This long-known system has been well received, but still it requires the purchase, maintenance and availability of a separate appliance. This appliance, while being a separate expense, also constitutes a visual impediment when directly viewed, especially when it is empty. Even if it is shrouded, it is an obvious bulk. It adds height to the display, which often is not desirable. As an addition objection, the added height of an object placed on it presents an increased risk of tipping over.

Rotatable tabletops are also known. These have the disadvantage that when they are turned, everything turns at the same time. For example, a diner sees his dinner move away from him when the tabletop is turned.

It is an object of this invention to provide as part of the top of an article of furniture, a rotary portion at or nearly flush with the top itself.

It is a related object to provide this turntable as a rotatable plate that if desired can made of the same material as the table top, or instead of any other suitable material such as glass.

It is another object of this invention to provide this objective with the use of a simple ring that carries bearings to support the plate, the ring providing at worst only a small inoffensive lip that is barely noticeable, and when the turntable is not to be used as such, it can be covered by a tablecloth.

While useful on a wide variety of furniture types and styles, one of its most popular applications is expected to be for outdoor patio tables.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An article of furniture has a top surface with a circular aperture formed therein. The aperture has a central axis normal to the top surface. A flat peripheral band on this top surface contiguously surrounds the aperture.

A circular ring fits into the aperture. It includes a cylindrical wall and a peripheral lip. The lip, when the ring is fitted into the aperture, overhangs and bears against the band, thereby supporting the ring at the top of the furniture.

Bearings are fixed to the cylindrical wall of the ring. They extend into the ring below its upper edge. A turntable plate is fitted in the ring and is supported by the bearings. It is thereby rotatable relative to the top surface. The bearings are placed so that the top of the plate is not appreciably above the top of the lip, and is thereby flush or nearly flush with the top surface. The lower face of the lip makes surface-to-surface contact with the flat peripheral band.

The turntable plate can be made of any desired-material, perhaps of the same material as the furniture top, or of glass.

For furniture with lateral structure under the tabletop, the lower edge of the ring may locally be relieved to clear them.

The above and other features of this invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a tabletop with a turntable according to the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken at line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is fragmentary cross-section taken at region 3-3 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary modified portion of FIG. 3, showing an optional feature of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An article of furniture 10 such as a table or side piece has a top 11 with a top surface 12 and a peripheral edge 13. As shown in FIG. 2 the top has a dimension of thickness, and a bottom surface 14.

For purposes of this invention, a circular aperture 15 is formed in the top. The aperture has a circular wall 16. A peripheral planar band 17 extends around the aperture, adjacent to it. This band will simply be a flat disc-like region, merely a flat portion of top surface 12.

A turntable plate 20 is mounted inside the aperture. As best shown in FIG. 3 it has an outer circular peripheral edge 21, a top surface 22 and a bottom surface 23. It may be made of the same material as the furniture top, or as shown, may be made of glass. Its thickness relative to that of the furniture top is arbitrary. Its top surface is preferable planar, but could instead be configured as desired. There will be a narrow gap 25 between the outer of the plate and the inner wall of the aperture for manufacturing purposes, but as will be seen, it will be mostly covered by other structure, and in any event will be quite mall.

A support ring 30 is placed in the aperture to support the turntable plate. Ring 30 has a peripheral wall 31 with an inside wall surface 32, an outside wall surface 33, a lower edge 34 and an upper edge 35.

An integral support lip 16 extends laterally from wall 31. It has a peripheral lower face 37 which rests on band 17, in surface-to-surface relationship with it. This lip thereby supports the ring in the aperture. The ring is made of a strong metal such as stainless steel. The gauge may be quite thin a thickness of perhaps 3/64 inches is generally adequate.

Gap 25 may be on the order of ¼ inch, and the overhang of the lip onto the band may be about ⅛ inch. The lip's radial dimension will then be on the order of about ¼ inch.

Four bumpers 40 are fitted into wall 31, projecting from each side to keep the ring centered. There is a small clearance between the plate and the bumpers to prevent binding of the plate.

Four bearings 45 are mounted to wall 31, about 9.0 degrees apart. In the preferred embodiment, these bearings have shafts 46 fixed to the wall, and wheels 47 journaled to them. Rollers such as are used on sliding doors, with plastic wheels, are suitable. These bearings rotatably support the plate.

Any desired type of bearing can be used, including fixed, non rotatable bearings. For example, a brass rod with a smooth periphery will allow a smooth glass surface to be moved across it. It should be remembered that rotation of these plates is slow and infrequent. In the entire life of a device of this type, only a few hundred revolutions would ordinarily be anticipated. Wear is no concern. Still, rotary bearings will be preferred because they are so readily mounted and inexpensive. Also they may be coated with a suitable material to reduce noise.

Some articles of furniture, especially large oval tables for outdoor use, will have transverse structures just beneath the table top to support it under load. In some arrangements some structure will pass directly beneath the plate. To provide clearance for these structures, the lower edge 50 of a ring 51 can have reliefs 52 cut into the wall 31 to pass a support 53 such as a tube. This will still leave a sufficient uncut portion of wall 31, and will not cut into the lip. Therefore the ring remains a continuous structure, and the bearings are well supported.

If desired, band 17 may be recessed into the top surface of the article of furniture so the top of the lip is flush with the top surface of the table. This will usually be unnecessary because the lip is so thin as to be innocuous.

There results an inset turntable construction always available, and innocuous even when not covered. It is inexpensive for such an application, and requires only the ring to be made available in addition to the turntable disc itself.

Also, if desired, the ring could be placed directly on a table without an aperture, where it will perform the same function the ring itself serving as a base.

This invention is not to be limited by the embodiments shown in the drawings and described in the description, which are given by way of example and not of limitation, but only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims. 

1. An inset turntable for the top surface of the top of an article of furniture, said top surface having a circular aperture therein having a central axis normal to said top surface, extending below said top surface, contiguously bounded by a flat peripheral band, and having an axially extending concentric circular wall beneath said band, said inset turntable comprising: a circular ring having a central axis, an axially extending cylindrical wall having an upper and a lower edge, and a peripheral lip extending around said upper edge, projecting laterally therefrom with a planar ring-shaped lower face proportioned and arranged to make surface to surface contact with said band on said top surface, the outer surface of said wall depending into said circular wall of said aperture; a plurality of bearings mounted to said cylindrical wall of said ring, extending inwardly therefrom; and a circular turntable plate rotatably placed in said ring resting on said bearings, thereby adapted to rotate around said central axis.
 2. An inset turntable according to claim 1 in which said bearings are roller bearings with axes of rotation normal to the central axis.
 3. An inset turntable according to claim 1 in which said lip forms a continuous structure around said upper edge of said cylindrical wall.
 4. An inset turntable according to claim 1 in which said bearings are disposed below said upper edge of said ring by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the turntable plate.
 5. An inset turntable according to claim 4 in which said turntable plate has a surface made of the same material as the top surface of the article of furniture.
 6. An inset turntable according to claim 5 in which said band is recessed into said top surface of the article by a distance about equal to the axial thickness of the lip.
 7. A combination according to claim 4 in which said turntable plate is made of glass. 